Starcount partners with DataHawks to turn data into sales for the Hospitality industry

Victoria, why did you create DataHawks? 

V: After 28 years working in the hospitality industry, I was frustrated with how undervalued marketing is at board-level. As an industry we’ve struggled to understand how to stay relevant and profitable. While hospitality has traditionally been operationally led, marketing has unique access to the traits and behaviours of customers on a company-wide scale – It’s no coincidence that the sectors putting marketing at the heart of their strategy are thriving. 

Ultimately, hospitality is a customer-focused industry and yet we do less than most other industries to understand our key groups and how our brands resonate with them. I believe to be a customer business you really need to be a data business, and this was the driving force behind Datahawks from the start. I want to empower marketers with data intelligence on their customers so they can make smart decisions and prove ROI on their department’s actions.

DataHawks organise, analyse and monetise clients’ data to surface business-changing insights. Our Marketing Intelligence Report reveals our client’s key customer groups and the value of converting them up the funnel. We empower our clients with a focused retention and acquisition strategy; and can even manage their CRM communications, activating the insight to drive revenue on their behalf. 

Why is Starcount excited to work with Datahawks?

R: When I Met Vic, there was immediate chemistry. We both think ‘Customer’.  

Vic’s knowledge stems from extensive experience working as a marketer in the hospitality industry, while I have worked in consumer behaviour data science for some of the biggest retail brands in the UK. 

When we first met, Vic was the CMO of a successful restaurant brand and despite the fact our meeting was to talk about data; we spent the entire session discussing the restaurant’s challenges from the point of view of their customer behaviours. We knew data evidenced the challenges; but the excitement was designing the solution to reveal the opportunity for success. 

So a year later, when Vic shared with me she was launching Datahawks, I knew it was an exciting opportunity for Starcount. Whilst Starcount always knew our data could play a huge role for the hospitality sector, we weren’t as familiar with how the industry operates – and who wants insights without a plan to action them?!

Together, we are a powerful force to help brands thrive in a fast-changing climate. The Datahawks partnership empowers Starcount’s insights to be turned into a strategy that drives positive customer behaviour, incremental value and ultimately proves the ROI of a customer-centric business. And we were right; we evidenced this for our first joint-client within just one month where we increased their sales conversion by 20% and turned their worst-performing site into their 6th most profitable. 

With the change the hospitality industry has gone through, why are Starcount and Datahawks joining forces?

V: Back in the 90s, the hospitality industry was all about growth, then in the 2000s a deep recession hit and brands had to go digital and create their first websites. Subsequently, customers had the purchasing power, based on the best offers and discounts available to them.  In 2010s Instagram boomed, and hospitality was driven by experience and getting people to post on social media. 

Now, Gen Z is setting the agenda: they make-up 40% of the eating-out market and it’s an ever-growing group. This market doesn’t know a life without the internet or smartphones, yet they are influential in the decisions they make and brands they love;  so they demand more relevant and personalised experiences than ever before. Despite this huge societal and technological evolution, the industry is marketing like it’s still the 90s with the majority of marketing budgets going towards print. 

There’s a huge amount of work to be done on refining our approach to Gen Z, but we should also have one eye on Gen A, who are already starting to demonstrate their own considerable buying power. Without our partnership, the industry is going in blind. 

R: During the pandemic, the hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit and as a repercussion has undergone significant change. It was a fight for survival and only those who were able to adapt have been able to thrive since. The brands who thrive are those who understand what customers are looking for from their brand today and how to cater to this demand. The best way to do this is through data. 

Data collection was at an all time high for the industry with at-table ordering apps and delivery order apps becoming part of the norm. We have more data than ever before to understand what customers are needing from our sites. While Datahawks helps analyse this customer data on behalf of the brands, Starcount’s data enriches customers to reveal why customers are coming. Is it for a family day-trip? A work night-out? A socialising sports night? Datahawks then can action this ‘why’ and drive frequency,  repeat visits, and create truly personalised experiences. 

What has the hospitality industry been missing that this partnership will bring to the table?

R: We bring an understanding of why customers are visiting venues, not just what they buy or how long they stay.  As well as the ability to understand the fast and ever-changing consumer trends (including Gen Z and millennials’ mindsets) through our dynamic social data to empower brands to stay on top of what matters to their future customers with the aim to create truly personalised experiences. 

How will you be delivering value & returns for your clients?

V: Our experience is that for most businesses, 80% of their revenue comes from 20% of their customers. What’s harder to know is who these high-value customers are and how to find more customers to convert to behave in the same way.

Moving just 5% of customers up the funnel can generate upwards of millions in revenue, but most brands don’t know how. Starcount’s data shows brands what would motivate customers to move up the funnel and Datahawks actions that move. 

Who would be the ideal customer for this proposition?

V & R: (In resounding agreement) An ideal customer would be someone who’s willing to change, test new ways of thinking and drive incremental growth to make a sustainable impact on their business performance. 

Want to find out more about this partnership & how the joint insight & data is driving upsell, improving site performance, and growing hospitality brands reach? Click enquire below and we will send you further information.